Wall construction



Feb. 28, 1956 c. H. GAY ET AL 2,736,400

WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 10, 1951 Cecil .27. Ga Glen JJcizoess Earl KSO oessonr INVENTORS ATTORNEY United States Patent() WALL CONSTRUCTION Cecil H. Gay, Akron, and Glen J. Schoessow and Earl E. Schoessow, Barberton, Ohio, assignors to The Babcock & Wilcox Company, Rockleigh, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 10, 1951, Serial No. 245,843

6 Claims. (Cl. 189-34) The present invention relates to the construction of gas-tight metallic walls subject to thermal expansion and contraction in several directions, and more particularly to walls of the character described through which pass and have connected thereto tubular members subject to thermal expansion and contraction.

In accordance with the invention, a flexible gas-tight horizontal or vertical metallic wall for an industrial structure subject to thermal expansion and contraction in all directions, is formed by a multiplicity of contacting flanged seal pans having a continuous weld bead along all adjoining pan flanges to connect the same, and with the pans so shaped and arranged that the short sides of each pan abut long sides of partly oflset adjoining transverse pans and the long sides of each pan are abutted by oflset shortsides of adjoining transverse pans, whereby any continuity of similarly constructed and arranged structural elements extending across the width or length of the wall is avoided. In cases where tubular members are to be supported by and extend through the flexible wall construction, the tubes are directly connected to rectangular wall plate sections which are welded :to the seal pans around the perimeter of the tube openings therein and with adjoining wall plate sections being separated by expansion slots.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, refer! ence should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which we have illustrated and described alpreferred form of our invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a vertical wall constructed in accordance with the invention, the external insulation being removed for purposes of clarity;

Fig. .2 is a vertical section taken on the line of ne Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation partly broken away and in section of several of the seal pans and plate sections, with one of the tubular members in position; and

Fig. 5 is a view taken transversely of Fig. 4.

While the invention is adapted for use in various industrial structures in which the walls are subject to movement due to thermal expansion and contraction under the designed operating conditions, it is illustrated herein as used for the outer wall of a cooling gas chamber at the outer side of a thick metallic enclosure wall 12 subject to movement in several directions due to heat generated in and thermal growth of the contained structure. The wall 12 is connected to a corresponding opposite enclosure wall (not shown) by tubular members 14 arranged on uniform horizontal and vertical centers. The tubes 14 pass through the walls 12 and are welded thereto as indicated at 16. The tubes 14 thus constitute rigid tubular anchors for the walls 12, and consequently the resultant stresses in the anchor welds and in the tubular anchoring members may be of an extremely high order.

The metallic walls 12 are cooled by the passage of a cooling gas, usually air, through corresponding cooling chambers 10, the outer walls 18 of which have a multi-v layer flexible gas-tight structure for supporting projecting portions of the anchor tubes '14. The projecting ends of the tubes 14 are threaded for receiving closure caps (not shown). The inner layer of the outer wall 18 is formed by a steel plate 20 through which the tubes 14 pass and are peripherally welded thereto as indicated at 22. In operation the plate 20 is subject to thermal expansion in all directions which would tend to distort and possibly rupture some of the anchor tubes passing therethrough. To eliminate such stresses the plate is subdivided after welding of the tubes 14 thereto by burning continuous vertical and horizontal slots 23 therein between all of the horizontal and vertical tube rows, whereby the plate 20 will consist of a multiplicity of slightly spaced square sections 20 each of which is welded to a corresponding anchor tube 14.

The sectioned plate 20 is sealed by a multiplicity of relatively shallow rectangular flanged seal pans 24, each of which is arranged with its flat bottom in contact and substantially coextensive with a pair of adjoining plate sections 20* and with openings therein to receive the corresponding pair of anchor tubes 14 carried by those sections. .As shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, each of the seal pans 24 has .a pair of circular openings 26 in the bottom thereof concentric with and of larger diameter than the corresponding tube openings in the plate sections 20. The pans are securely connected to the plate sections by continuously welding the plate sections thereto around the periphery of the openings 26, as indicated in Figs. -1 and 4. The vseal pans .24 are designed so that the corre- Spondingly flared edge flanges 25 of adjoining pans will be in contact at their outer edges. A gas-tight flexible wall construction is formed by providing a continuous weld bead 27 along all of the adjoining pan flanges. The flared construction of the seal pan flanges and welded connection therebetween provide a flexible gas-tight construction which permits the thermal expansion and contraction I the pans under varying conditions of operation of the wall and associated structure to be substanti lly absorbed by bending of the pan edge flanges.

In accordance with the invention, the seal pans .24 are also arranged and flange welded together in a special pattern to minimize the overall effect of any thermal expansion and contraction thereof. As shown in Fig, :1, the movement is at least partly absorbed in the pan strut ture by having the pans of a length which is a multiple of width, and preferably a length double the width, and arranging the pans :so that the short sides of each pan will abut a long side of two transverse adjoining pans partly offset from one another along oppositely arranged side portions thereof. Similarly, the long sides of each pan are abutted by the short sides of adjoining pans oflset at opposite sides thereof. Each vertically arranged seal pan will thus have its uper short edge flange seal welded to one-half the length of the lower long edge flange of a superjacent transverse pan, its lower short edge flange welded to the opposite half of the upper long edge flange of a subjacent transverse pan, the upper half of its left long edge flange welded to the right short edge flange of an adjoining transverse pan, the lower half of its left long edge flange welded to the upper half of the right longe edge flange of an adjoining vertically arranged pan, the upper half of its right long edge flange welded to the lower half of the left long edge flange of an adjoining vertically arranged pan, and the lower half of its right long edge flange welded to the left short edge flange of an adjoining transverse pan. Any continuity of similarly constructed and arranged structural members horizontally or vertically of the wall is thus avoided. With this arrangement thermal expansion or contraction of the pans in any one direction will substantially avoid any cumulative elfect tending to increase or decrease respectively the overall size of the wall in that direction, but instead the thermal eflect will be mainly absorbed by the bending of the flanges of the adjoining pans which extend transversely of the direction of thermal expansion or contraction. The sectional construction of the plate 20 and the resulting expansion slots permit this movement while providing an adequate gastight support for the anchor tubes. In use, layers of insulation will be applied to the outer side of the pans 24.

The described wall construction has been found to provide a wall capable of effectively withstanding thermal stresses in all directions, and yet maintaning a substantially gas-tight seal for a cooling chamber containing a gas under a substantial superatmospheric pressure of, for example 90 H2O.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes we have illustrated and described herein the best form of the invention now known to us, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by the claims, and that certain features of our invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

We claim:

1. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a flexible gas-tight wall comprising a multiplicity of elongated rectangular seal pans having a substantially flat bottom and flaring flexible edge flanges, means forming a sealing connection between the edge portions of contracting flaring flexible flanges of adjoining seal pans, and said seal pans being relatively arranged with the short sides of each pan abutting the long sides of transverse adjoining pans at opposite ends thereof.

2. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a flexible gas-tight wall comprising a multiplicity of elongated rectangular seal pans each having a substantially flat bottom and flaring flexible edge flanges, means seal welding together the edges of the contacting flaring flexible flanges of adjoining seal pans, and said seal pans being relatively arranged with the short sides of each pan abutting the long sides of transverse adjoining pans at opposite ends thereof and the long sides of each pan being abutted by offset short sides of transverse adjoining pans.

3. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a gas chamber having a flexible gas tight wall, tubular members extending through said wall and having portions substantially rigidly fixed within said chamber, said flexible gas tight wall comprising an inner layer plate section receiving and rigidly connected to each tubular member extending therethrough, and an outer layer formed by one of a multiplicity of seal pans having a substantially flat bottom and flaring flexible edge flanges, means welding said bottom to the inner plate section, and means welding together the edges of the contacting flaring flanges of adjoining seal pans.

4. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a rigid enclosing wall, tubular members extending through and rigidly connected to said wall, a flexible gas tight outer wall spaced from said enclosing wall and comprising an inner layer plate section receiving and rigidly connected to the projecting portions of each of said tube members extending therethrough, an outer layer formed by a multiplicity of elongated rectangular seal pans having a substantially flat bottom and outwardly flaring flexible flanges, means welding said bottom to said inner layer plate section, means welding the edges of the contacting flaring flexible flanges of adjoining seal pans.

5. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a gas chamber having a flexible gas tight wall, tubular members extending through said wall and having portions substantially rigidly flxed within said chamber, said flexible gas tight wall comprising an inner layer plate section receiving and rigidly connected to each tubular member extending therethrough, and an outer layer formed by one of a multiplicity of elongated rectangular seal pans each having a substantially flat bottom and flaring flexible edge flanges, means Welding said bottom to the inner plate section, means welding together the edges of the contacting flaring flanges of adjoining seal pans, and said seal pans being relatively arranged with the short sides of each pan abutting the long sides of transverse adjoining pans at opposite ends thereof.

6. In apparatus subject to thermal expansion and contraction, a rigid enclosing wall, tubular members extending through and rigidly connected to said wall, a flexible gas tight outer wall spaced from said enclosing wall and comprising an inner layer plate section receiving and rigidly connected to the projecting portions of each of said tube members extending therethrough, an outer layer formed by a multiplicity of elongated rectangular seal pans having a substantially flat bottom and outwardly flaring flexible flanges, means welding said bottom to said inner layer plate section, means welding the edges of the contacting flexible flanges of adjoining seal pans, and said seal pans being relatively arranged with the short sides of each pan abutting the long sides of transverse adjoining pans at opposite ends thereof and the long sides of each pan being abutted by offsetting short sides of transverse adjoining pans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 741,629 Cowan Oct. 20, 1903 799,590 Brown Sept. 12, 1905 1,774,150 Murray Aug. 26, 1930 1,933,772 Stresau Nov. 7, 1933 2,021,742 Nichols Nov. 19, 1935 2,144,598 Brinckerhofl et al. J an. 17, 1939 

